Austin Sound

Remember back in the day when we used to get on artists for doing commercials? “Sellout!” we’d vehemently yell at them, shilling for Volkswagon or Victoria’s Secret (who wouldn’t shill for Victoria’s Secret, though, really!?), and then write them off because clearly they have gotten too uppity chasing after the big bucks and deserted us and our precious indie devotion that is determined to keep them poor and to ourselves. Man, how times have changed, probably because we started downloading music and realized we’re part of the problem. It’s like White Guilt, but with internet access. So to help alleviate our culpability in the downfall of the music industry, we are more than happy to support those efforts by companies that want to pay out nice chunks of change to artists for doing what they do (well, kinda what they do, anyway). Which brings us to the Gatti’s Pizza Jingle contest and their $10,000 grand prize. We told you about this back when it launched, so stop whining, hipster! The fine folks at Gatti’s (local, ya know) have whittled down their submissions for a new jingle to five finalists, thanks to a pretty impressive panel of judges that included Marcia Ball and Ruben Ramos. Now it’s up to you to decide you gets the money! Check out the finalists and vote here. They’re all Austinites, so no homer shortcuts. We would probably vote for the Joel Calvin’s sexy-time theme, but honestly the whole food/sex combo kinda makes us nauseous. But decide for yourself, pervs.

ACL’s “The Sound and the Jury” competition, the annual contest where mediocre bands compete for a chance to play the worst possible slot on the ACL Fest lineup, is now open for business! We don’t really have any problem with the past battle of the bands winners, which were the Steps last year and new Austinites the Rocketboys for the inaugural competition, but really, this contest can get pretty dreary. After months of grueling pandering and head to head playing by the bands, they win, and the big payout is to play to an AM crowd of basically those folks who were too drunk or stricken by sunstroke to leave Zilker Park the night before. Calm down kids, we’re kidding! (We’re not really kidding). Anyway, you can sign your band up and begin the process of promotion (what? no Twitter account? You don’t stand a chance!) at the Dell Lounge, where all the cool kids are hanging out. Good luck folks, and to help get you in the spirit, here’s their video recap from last year’s competition.

So far, Frantic Clam has released two EPs that have grabbed our attention, especially this year’s Anatomica. Their brand of big guitar pop kicks with energy and verve, and they’re planning on finally unloading a full length this October. There’s also a piece in the new album for fans, though, as the Clam will be including a remix of their song “Korean Beauty Queen” on the disc. They’ve opened up a contest on their website to hear what folks can do with the song, and will be taking submissions until August 15. Think you’re the next Car Stereo (Wars)? Download the stems and get to work here. You can also check out the original version of the song on their myspace page.

We know our local bands are constantly drudging it out to make ends meet, and we sympathize. So we thought we would bring attention to a couple of contests that offer good payouts. The biggest is the online competition from Gatti’s Pizza, who is paying out a whopping $10,000 grand prize for someone to reinvent their jingle. The pizza joint is holding an online competition, so folks can vote on their favorites as well. Find out more and submit your entries at http://gattisjingle.com.

The ACL Fest is once again holding their “The Sound and the Jury” battle of the bands for an opportunity for one worthy act to garner a set at this year’s festival. Last year saw four Texas bands and one from Georgia duking it out in the final live showdown, including locals Golden Bear, Quiet Company, and Nelo, though Abilene’s Homer Hiccolm and the Rocket Boys took the prize. Bands have until August 22 to register but voting starts on July 11. You can sign up here.